Water-softening apparatus.



L. D. KINZIG. WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6. 1914.

PatentedSept. 21, 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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COLUMBIA PLANOIJRAI'H C01. WASHINGTON. D. v

L. D. KINZIG. WM'ER SOFTENING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED res. s. |914.

2 SHEETS-SHED 2.

PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANounAPl-l CD..WASHINGTDN. D. c.

Specification.

LOUIS D. KINZIG, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO NORTHERNl WATERSOFTENER CO.,

' vA CORPORATION OF MAINE. A

Vl/"A'lER-SOFTENINGY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Application filed February 6, 1914. Serial No. 816,898.

To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, LoUrs D. KINZIG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, county of YMontgomery, State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Water-Softening Apparatus, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, whic form apart of this My invention has for its object to V.produce a simple and eflicient vautomatic apparatus for mixing water to be treated and a chemical in the desired proportions.

'The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized willv hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a fullunderstanding of my invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing in cross section a treating and storage reservoir and in side elevation my improved mixing apparatus operatively associated with the reservoir; Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation ofthe constant head device for the chemical supply pipe; and Fig. 3 is a section taken Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.V

' Referring to the drawings, large reservoir having in the center an open ended tubular member, 2, extending from the top to a point near the bottom. Upon .the reservoir is arranged a tank, 3, divided by a vertical partition, 4, into two chambers. Within one of the chambers of the tank 1s located a vertical water wheel, 5, conveniently mounted on a horizontal shaft, 6, supported in the bearings at the top of the tank. The upper half of the water wheel is concealed beneath a suitable hood, *7,` arranged above the compartment in which the lower half of the water wheelI lies. The other compartment of the tank 3 serves to'hold the supply of chemical liquid which is to be added to the water to be treated. In the arrangement shown, the bottom of the tank 3 '1 is made semi-cylindrical and there is mounted in the chemical compartment a vertical approximately on line 3 3 of 1 represents a paddle wheel, 8, the paddles of which are substantially as long as the width of the compartment and the radius of which is substantially equal to the radius of the semicylindrical bottom of the tank. To the dividing partitionin the tank is secured a cup,

the delivery opening, for the water to be treated. The receiving end of the pipe 10 proJects into the cup 9 at a point below the top so that the inlet orificev is always submerged. f l

Just above the cup 9 is a receptacle, l2, open at the top and having a discharge outlet, 13, emptying into the cup. On the water wheel shaft, 6, is a bucket conveyer, 14, which extends down toward the bottom of the chemical compartment of the tank 3; the conveyer lying near the partition so that the buckets will lift chemical from the chemical compartment and deliver it into the cup 9.

In addition to driving the bucket conveyer, the water wheel also drives the paddle wheel agitator, suitable gearing, 15, being provided for this purpose between the agitator and the shaft 6. The water wheel also Vactuates an agitator, 16, in the tubular central sectionr2 of the reservoir, suitable gearing, 17, being arranged between this agitator and the water wheel shaft.

The water to be treated is supplied through a pipe, 20, having therein a valve, 21, controlled by a suitable float device, 22, in the main reservoir; the float device 22 serving to shut off the water supply when the reservoir-is fullk and to start the flow of water at 24. Connected lto the i water. c ln other words,

t it flows down Y.iowing over the water wheel.

chemical mixture adapted to be added to the water to be treated. reservoir to be empty, the float 22 will be down so thatthe valve 2l in the supply pipe is open. Water being allowed to enter the supply pipe, it flows through the same and is discharged upon the water wheel turning the4 latter. Vater is supplied under enough pressure to permit it to backup into the ioat chamber, 25, the restricted orice 24 serving as a reducing valve to maintain pressure in the pipe just within the orifice. `When no water is flowing the valve 28 is Wide open. As `water enters the iioat chamber 25 itnlifts the float 26 and begins to close the valve 28 so as to cut down the supplyof the float device Assuming the main vforms a very sensitivepressure regulator which will keep the Vpressure ofthe water at the dischargeoriiice of the water pipe practically constant so that a uniform stream of water willL be kept flowing over the water wheel. Asthe water leaves the water wheel into the bottom of the water Wheel compartment and out through the opening ll into the tubular central portion, 2, of the main reservoir. As the water wheel Arotates itv also actuate's the vbucket conveyer Y for the chemical and the paddle wheel agitator. The bucket conveyer supplies chemical to the constant head cup, 9, through the receptaclel2 at a faster rate than the chemical will flow out through the-pipe 10, the surplus of lchemical overflowing. Conse- 'quentlv the constant head cup is always full so that the head between the surface of the chemical therein and the inlet 'orifice of the pipe l0 is constant. By having this constant head of the chemical and an orifice which is always submerged, there will be a uniform flow of chemical out of the discharge pipe 10 as long as the apparatus is operating. The pipe l0 empties into the chamber 2 of the main reservoir and mixes with the raw .way to a delivery opening at the top. Whenever the water supplied to the water wheel stops, the water wheel ceases therefore the conveyer for the chemical also comesl to rest so that chemicalv will'be 'supplied only during the time that' water is When the water in the main reservoir rises to a predrawn` from the main reservoi The valve 28 is located between Vcal -fluid may Y operation.

to turn and determined high level it acts upon the float 22 and closes the valve 2l so that the apparatus stops working.

to a predetermined low level, the float 22 causes the valve `2l to open again and the apparatus is again set in operation.

' Duringthe operation of the apparatusthe paddle wheel agitator turns slowly, dlesv traveling inv close proximity curved bottom of the chemical lcompartment and preventing the chemical from settling. Furthermore, since the vpaddles extend substantially the entire Ywidth' `of the chemical compartment, every portion ofvthefbody' of the pad- /chemical is agitated, so that the mixtureremains uniform and does not vary in characrterY as the supply is reducediito supply'the demand. It willalso be seen that by supf plying thewater at a constal yt'head,through Yan orifice Vof a predetermined'size and also' supplying chemical atV a icon stanti head through an orifice of a given'size whichQbecause it is submerged, will remain clean, per

fectproportioning ofthe water vand chemibeV maintainedfltfwill furthermore be seen that while'tlijeiapparatus will proportion the water, andthe1 chemical .withy great accurateness, it .consists y,offonly a fewstrong simple parts which/cannot `easily get out oforder an indefinitely, so `that the apparatusrequires practically no `other attention; than the vini tial adjustments andi theffsupplyin'g ,offthe chemical chamber with sufficient chemical, r

.from time to time, to keep the,v apparatus in While l have'A illustrated andldescribed with particularity only ,av singleY preferred form of my invention, l do not desire be details thus limited to the exact structural illustrated and described,but intend 'to cover all forms and arrangements which fall with-V in the terms employed in the definitions of my invention r constituting the appended claims. Y

l claim:

l 1. ln'a water treatingapparatus,a water supply pipe, means for maintaining a constant head atfthedischarge orifice in saidpipe, a chemical supply pipe, and means controlled bythe discharged water formaintaininga constant'head of chemical inthe chemical supply pipe.

2. Ina water treating wheel,a waterfsupply pipedelivering water to the wheel,means for maintaining .a .constant head in the aforesaid pipe, a chemical supply pipe, a cup surrounding the inlet end of thechemical 'supply pipe andV having its j mouth lying above the highest point ofjsaid inlet end, and means for supplying chemical to said Acup at a rate in excess 'of thefrate of flow through the chemicaljpipe.

3. In a water treating apparatus,a water to the apparatus, a rwater When the water is ioo izo

chamber having a discharge orifice, a chemiorifice, and a constantfhead device for supcal chamber lying in proximity to the water plying water to the water wheel. 10 chamber, a water wheel in said water cham- In testimony whereof, I sign this specifiber, a chemical conveyer in said chemical cation in the presence of two witnesses. chamber, a driving connection between the LOUIS D. KINZIG. water wheel and the chemical conveyer, a- Witnesses:

cup in position to receive chemical from the WM. F. FRENDENREIGH,

conveyer and having a submerged delivery RUTH E. ZETTERVALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

